St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls

The school was founded by the Daughters of the Cross in 1893[3] and is situated in twenty-five acres of parkland with some notable buildings. The main building on the property was once Carshalton House, a grand manor house built in the early eighteenth century by Edward Carleton. It was the home of the noted physician, Dr. John Radcliffe until his death in 1714.[4] Other owners included Sir John Fellowes, Sub-Governor of the South Sea Company; Lord Anson, admiral; and Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, Lord High Chancellor.[5]

In 1999 the school was featured in Rock band Travis' musical video for hit single Driftwood. In 2004, the school was awarded Technology College status. In April 2006, it was awarded a Language College status alongside the Technology College status. In 2007, a new Learning Resource Centre, including a library, was opened. In 2016, a new classroom block, the Veritas Centre opened. The new block consists of eight total classrooms, the ground floor accommodating two Food Technology classrooms and two Science laboratories, and the upper floor with dual-purpose Arts and Textiles classrooms. Staff/equipment rooms that connect between classrooms are also on each floor.

The school should not be confused with St. Philomena's School at St. Mary Cray near Orpington, Kent, a RC foundation operating from the 1950s.[6]

In April 2012, St Philomena's was exposed by a student to Pinknews.co.uk for urging its pupils, some as young as 11, to sign an anti-gay marriage petition in protest of the government's proposal to allow gay couples to marry in civil ceremonies.[7] A presentation on religious opposition to the government's proposal was shown to students encouraged them to sign and add their names to the Coalition for Marriage's petition. Bigoted comments made by the school's headmistress, who was presenting, caused many LGBTQ+ students in the school to buy 'Gay Pride badges' and post posters around the school in support of LGBTQ+ rights.

A government inquiry by the Welsh government investigated whether the school was in breach of sections 406-7 of the Education Act 1996, which forbids 'the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school', and requires balanced treatment of political issues, but it was ruled that St Philomena's did not break the rules on political partisanship.